Now I'm just confused. Chinatown?

After recently testing Bond#9 Chinatown, and eternally hoping to love one of their fragrances so I could score a cool bottle, I decided. This was it. Love the bottle and like the fragrance, Venus is aligned with Mars, and my new fuzzy socks are fuscia.

So I placed a bid with Ebayer nyc-creations, starting at 4.99 +1.00shipping. I swear it was a few hours into a 3 day listing, 30minutes later they say I've won, nyc-creations has emailed me an invoice, and I've paid. Five dollars and ninety-nine cents for &quot;1.7oz EdP Bond#9 Chinatown,authentic, unused,and in its original unopened package.&quot; The seller is new, only 23 feedbacks, all positve, with about 25 other Bonds to sell. There was no picture. It didn't say it was a tester. Now I wonder what the heck it is, and I guess I'll find out when it comes in the mail.

Re: Now I'm just confused. Chinatown?

Yes indeedy, it is for a sample. I just hope it is an authentic sample. This is my experience with that buyer:
I saw some listings on eBay for a travel-sized Bond No 9 candles from a seller called BondNo9NewYork. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...%3AIT&amp;rd=1
I watched the auction and planned to bid toward the end of it. Nancy Nurse bid and the auction ended immediately. After watching a few more auctions for the same item, I saw that was simply the way the seller operated. Someone bids and she closes the auction and collects her money. I wrote to her and asked about the candles. I wanted to know the size, strength etc. She said they were loaded with scent and three times the size of a tea light. I purchased two candles and paid for insurance for both. When they finally came, the package was not insured. Although it was sent first class, she used a priority mail box and covered it in paper so she wouldn't have to send it priority mail. Honestly, after I paid twice for shipping she might have at least upgraded it to priority. The scent was NOT a genuine Bond No 9 fragrance. It was not highly scented. After burning one candle for 5 minutes, I couldn't smell anything. I was afraid to light the second candle because there is brown stuff on the outside of the wax and the inside of the container. When I attempted to contact the seller to find out what it was, I got no response. I called Bond in New York. They make no travel sized candle (they were actually closer to tealight in size) and they produce nothing that could be used to make candles or anything else with their scents. THey were not very happy that someone was using their logo on an Ebay description and on fake candles either. I disputed the charge with paypal. The seller is longer a registered user with eBay but on the dispute info paypal is refering to the seller as NYC-Creations so apparently she closed one eBay account (possibly due to pressure from the real Bond No 9 and/or the lousy feedback she'd amassed) and opened another. I believe her description is deliberately worded to deceive people into thinking they are getting a bottle and not a decant. Genuine Bond samples are available from the Bond store in New York for $5 for six samples, and that includes shipping.
I am now awaiting a genuine candle in New Haarlem from Saks and I'm kicking myself for not just buying from them, or from Bond, in the first place. By the way, you can order from Bond and get a discount, I think it's 15% off, if you mention MUA.

Re: Now I'm just confused. Chinatown?

Goodness! I need a napkin to wipe my chin!! Holy Cow, though, to whomp another 200 bucks on for twenty bits of glass!!! I guess that's the marketing genius of appealing to status--&quot;I'm so rich I'll pay lots more if it's a little bit better.&quot; God, I hate people like that.

Re: Now I'm just confused. *Chinatown?

I saw that same ebayer. I was tempted but because there is no picture, decided against it. It definitely is too good to be true. It seems now if there are any questions, it is best to forget it. See my note in Ebay feedback Shopping thread here for another bad experience.
kumquat

Re: Now I'm just confused. Chinatown?

My sample came today--fast and well-packed. It's a little bon-bon in the candy wrapper, and is absolutely genuine both in appearance and of course, smell. And it smells gooood! To me, it smells just like the homemade coconut ice cream at my favorite Thai resturant. Yum!